Stephen Brook
Stephen Brook is a special correspondent for The Age and CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously deputy editor of The Sunday Age. He is a former media editor of The Australian and spent six years in London working for The Guardian.
- Opinion
- Charity
I was too busy for the charity vendor. But he said something that stopped me in my tracks
Australia’s giving sector has shown its incredible heart this week, but behind the scenes, an unsustainable number of non-profits are competing for survival.
- Stephen Brook
Latest
At 98, Peter Clemenger is not too old for one life-affirming revelation
The advertising executive was an industry giant who once child-minded the young Lachlan and James Murdoch.
- Stephen Brook
Medical pioneer and ex-MP Katie Allen honoured posthumously in King’s Birthday list
A host of trailblazing women are recognised in this year’s honours including philanthropist Janet Calvert-Jones, radio host Fran Kelly and gender equality advocate Natasha Stott-Despoja.
- Stephen Brook
- Opinion
- Motherhood
I thought I knew awkward. Then Mum published her Swinging Sixties travel diary
Mum never thought anyone – least of all her future children – would ever read her diary. Then her granddaughter asked what a hitchhiker was.
- Stephen Brook
Not much pride in the AFL’s LGBTQI+ efforts
Fines, suspensions, and cancelled games: How the AFL turned a celebration of pride into a bureaucratic mess.
- Stephen Brook
- Inside Story
- AFL 2026
Inside the AFL tribunal, and how it became a lawyers’ picnic
The AFL’s dismissal of a Kings Counsel has caused widespread alarm in the legal profession about the independence of a judiciary system that is itself under fire after a succession of contentious verdicts.
- Danny Russell and Stephen Brook
Discount fuel and cash giveaways: How Adrian Portelli’s business works
“Lambo Guy” Portelli says he is running a legitimate business. But anti-gambling advocates say he’s taking advantage of loopholes in legislation.
- Stephen Brook
From a naked flatmate to artistic joy – one man’s journey with the Hills Hoist
As a young Englishman in Australia, artist Bruce Munro saw beauty in the everyday.
- Stephen Brook
- Opinion
- City life
Love her or hate her, Melbourne needs outspoken icons like Bec Judd
From a career-defining red dress to her latest crusade against crime, Rebecca Judd remains Australia’s undisputed master of the spotlight and a polarising force in the public eye.
- Stephen Brook
The Roberts-Smith case has split the nation. Just ask his billionaire backers
Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, is standing by the disgraced Victoria Cross recipient after his arrest while another important figure stays silent.
- Stephen Brook and Alexander Darling